Bottle-filler.



No. 668,303. Patented'Feb. I9, |90l.` 0. S. BEYER. BOTTLE FILLER.

(Application led Apr. 27, 1900.) (No Model) WITNES m6 2 Sheets-'Sheet l.

INVENTOR:

SES:

'Patented Feb. I9, 190|. 0. S. BEVER. BOTTLE FILLER. (ppeation led Apr. 27, 1900.)

2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(NU'Model.)

WITNESS-ES:

INVENTOR: W# J yff Tu: NonRxs PETERS ec. PMoTuLrmo.. wAsHlNcrcN. D c.

OTTO S. BEYER, OF OARLSTADT, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO BORDENS CONDENSED MILK COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

BOTTLE-Fl LLER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 668,303, dated February 19, 1901.

Application filed April 27, 1900. Serial No. 14,562. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom, it may concern/.-

Be it known that I, OTTO S. Bnvnn, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Carlstadt, in the county of Bergen and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Bottle Fillers, of which the following is a specification.

My invention provides a bottle-filler which operates to fill the bottle expeditiously and automatically, to prevent an accumulation of foam, and to reject bottles the edges of whose necks are so badly chipped as to prevent sealing by the ordinary temporary seals which do not extend down into the neck of the bottle.

My invention provides also a bottle-ller having various other advantages, which will be set forth in the following description.

In the accompanying drawings, which illustrate one embodiment of my invention, Figure l is a central vertical section showing the parts in the position immediately before operation. Fig. 2 is a similar section of the filling-tube and bottle in the operating position. Fig. 3 is a section on the line 3 3 of Fig. 2. Figs. 4, 5, and 6 are central vertical sections and a horizontal section, respectively, of a modification; and Fig. 7 is a central vertical section of another modification.

The principal elements of the embodiments shown are a tank or similar receptacle and a vacuum-chamber, preferably in one, of which the lower portion forms the receptacle and the upper portion the vacuum-chamber, a pair of tubes one of which opens into the vacuum for conducting the air from a bottle into said vacuum and the other of which opens into the liquid for conducting the same into the bottle from which the air is being exhausted, the outer ends of said tubes being adapted to be connected to the mouth of a-bottle, means for sealing said bottle from the atmosphere, and valves in said tubes opened by the pressure of the bottle against the outer ends of said tubes.

Referring to the drawings, A indicates a tank the lower portion of which constitutes a liquid-receptacle, the level of the liquid being determined in any suitable manner, as by the well-known iioat-valve d. For the purpose of maintaining a vacuum in the vacuumchamber-in this case the upper part of said tank-I provide any suitable means, such as a pipe ct', leading to any form of vacuumpump.

As a means of supporting the bottle and pressingthe mouth thereof against the outer ends of the tubes I show a stand M, having a hub m. A plate H has a depending leg h, which passes through the hub m. A treadlelever L bears upward on the under side of a knob K, which has a pin 7c' entering the hollow interior of the leg 7L. A spring la is interposed between the top of the pin 7c' and the solid portion of the leg h. sure on the outer end of the lever L throws up the knob K and pin It'. The latter acts with a spring-pressure to lift the plate I-I and with it the bottle G.

rIhe two tubes which form the air-withdrawing and liquid-admitti ng means are preferably made concentric and connected With each other. In the present case the liquidtube (designated as a whole as B) is composed of an upper portion b2 and alower portion l), connected in anysuitable Way,as by brazing. The upper portion b2 carries at its upper end a perforated plate h', preferably screwed thereinto, as shown, and having an interiorly-screw-threaded hub 514, preferably thickened for greater rigidity. The lower portion b of the air-tube has a screw-threaded portion b3 and a polygonal flange b4, whereby it is connected With the lower plate a2 of the liquid-receptacle. It also has one or more openings b5, communicating with the interior of the receptacle. The lower end of the portion b is a plain cylinder. The air-tube, (designated as a Whole by 0,) in the present case the inner one of the two concentric tubes B and C, is provided near its upper end with a diaphragm or piston c, which closes the annular space between the inner and outer tubes and in the preferable form (shown in Fig. 2) carries at its upper end a portion c', opening outwardly through openings c2. On the lower end of the tube O is brazed a spider c4. (Shown most clearly in Fig. 3.) On the lower end of said tube C is screwed or otherwise fastened a tube c5, which forms a continuation of the interior of the main tube C, but which is outwardly flanged, as at c3, to form a valve member.

Downward prestion of the outer tube on all sides.

For the purpose of closing the lower end of the annular space between the two tubes I provide a closure D of any convenient type, in this case having an end portion d', the lower end of which is formed with a valveface d2, adapted to coact with the iiange or valve member c3 on the inner tube to close said annular space. Said niemberD has an upward extension d surrounding the lower por- A spring E surrounds the member D, bearing at its upper end on the under sidev of the ange b4 and at its lower end on the outward flange d4 of the closure D and tending normally to press the valve-face d2against the valve member c3, and thereby close the outer tube. A shoulder cl3 on the inner plate of the closure D limits the eXtreme upward movement of said closure by bearing against the lower end of the tube B. Y

On the lower end of the closure D i's a packing F'of yielding material, such as rubber, made of such softness that when the edge of the bottle-mouth is pressed against it with sufficient force to lift the closure D its full stroke the packing material will fill up and close any small nicks in the mouth of the bottle,which would not interfere with thesealing of the same, but will not close any serious nicks, such as shown at y in Fig. 5, which would prevent the proper sealing of the bottie by the ordinary temporary seals in use.

For closing the inner tube C, I use a valve arranged, preferably, as shown in Figs. I and '2, in which c6 is a valve seating against an inner face on the hollow valve member c3 and held in a fixed position by a stem c7, brazed thereon and extending throughout the length of the tube C and screwed into the hub 614 on the top of the outer tube. The stem c7 and valve c6 are provided with means for unscrewing them, such as the polygonal socket C8 in the face of the valve. The upper part of the member o6 is formed into a guiding-spider o16.

A special point of usefulness of the construction described is the facility with which its individual parts may be separated, so as to 'be efficiently and easily cleaned. For this purpose the tube is first taken out of the tank by unscrewing the joint b3 by means of a wrench on the polygonal flange b4. rPhe stem o7 is then unscrewed from the hub 1914 by means of a wrench and the polygonal socket cs. The valve c6 being then withdrawn, the inner tube C and closure D may be removed together or separately by unscrewing the lower end o5 of the inner tube and removing it and its valve member c3.

The operation of my bottle-filler is entirely automatic, being accomplished by a pressure of the bottles mouth against the packing F.

The operation of the embodiment above described is as follows: The parts being in the position of Fig. l, the reservoir containing the desired quantity of milk, and there being in its upper portion a partialvacuum,

with its mouth against the packing F and is pressed upward. If the edge of the bottlemouth be free from large nicks, the upward pressure closes it air-tight. As the pressure increases the spring Eis compressed and the valve-seat d2 lifted from the valve o3, opening the outer tube. The liquid will not run, however, unless its specific gravity and the distance of its level above the bottom of the tube be such as to make up the difference in pressure between the atmosphere and the vacuum, which will not usually be the case. The continued upward movement of the bottle against the action of the spring E now brings the upper edge d3 against the under edge of the spider c4 on the inner tube, lifting the latter, and with4 it the valve c3. The air in the bottle now rushes through the inner tube up to the vacuum, increasing the pressure there (in proportion to the volume of the vacuum-chamber, lbut preferably slightly) and greatly reducing the pressure in the bottle till the liquid flows downward and fills the latter. The action is very rapid, the air and the liquid assisting each other in assuming the position of equilibrium, with the liquid at the bottom and all the air at the top. The bottle is then lowered, the air-valve c6 c3 closing first to prevent any possible loss of vacuum or dripping of the liquid and then the liquid-valve c3 cl2. The liquid taken from the tank has been replaced by an equal volume of air from the bottle, leaving the vacuum practically the same as before. If the floatvalve shown be used, an equal volume of liquidalso enters after each bottle is filled, and the vacuum must be maintained by continuous pumping. l

An important advantage of my device is that it selects imperfect or badly-nicked bottles and refuses to iill them, and by varying the softness of the packing F and the consequent depth to which the edge of the bottle sinks in it the standard of selection may be varied. If by pressing the bottle with the full movement of the closure D there be still some nicks, such as y, Fig. 5, in the edge which are not closed by the packing, the air rushes in and maintains approximately atmospheric pressure in the bottlein spite of the open passage to the vacuum. Theliquid therefore is held up and none enters the bottle. But an instant is necessary to indicate the state of affairs to the workman, who releases the pressure on the treadle-lever and substitutes another bottle for the useless one. This function of the machine is particularly useful in filling bottles which are to be subsequently sealed for a short time by means which do IOC IIC

not eXtend down into the neck of the bottle, and which seal would be made ineffective by large nicks in the edge. In such case the packing F of my apparatus is of such softness that it seals the bottleand admits liquid thereto only when its edge is substantially unbroken, so as to be capable of being subsequently sealed, as explained, and is prevented from sealing or filling the same if the bottle has breaks of any considerable size 'along its edge, so as to make such subsequent sealing impossible.

With liquids which have a tendency to foam my apparatus is particularly useful. Bubbles when formed rise immediately in the inner tube and are broken by reason of the excess of pressure within them over that in the vacuum-chamber and inner tube.

As soon as theinner valve is closed in withdrawing the bottle liquid which may be in either tube is held there by the valve ci and the suction of the vacuum. The tubes may therefore be as large as desirable without the occurrence of any dripping after the removal of the bottle. By placing the closure of the liquid-tube at the bottom and arranging the lower ends of both tubes substantially level with the edge of the bottle it results that the bottle is filled just to its edge. I thus avoid the presence of an air-space between the sur face of the liquid and the seal which is subsequently applied. If, however, it be desired to have the liquid at a lower level, the end portion cl of the closure D and the valve members c3 and c(i may enter into the neck of the bottle to the point of the desired level of the liquid.

lThough I have described an embodiment of my invention with great particularity of detail, yet I am not to be understood as limiting myself to the particular details and combinations shown, as various modifications thereof are possible without departing from the spirit of my invention. For example,l show in Figs. 4, 5,and 6 a construction substantially identi- `cal with that of Fig. l as to the liquid or outer tube and its valve, but having its inner tube C of less diameter than in the previous construction, thereby obtaining a greater space between the two tubes for the flow of the liquid and utilizing the capillarity of the inner tube to prevent any drip. The air-valve in this case is at the top, and comprises a seat Z910 on the top of the outer tube and a valve proper, cw, on the inner tube, the valve being opened, asin the construction of Fig. l,by the upward movement of the inner tube after the outer tube-valve has been opened and the shoulder cl3 on the lower closure has come into contact with the spider c4. A piston or diaphragm om, brazed on the upper end of the tube C', closes the annular space between the tubes, and the upper end c12 of the inner tube is preferably a separate piece screwed into the main portion of the tube and provided with a polygonal socket at the top for unscrewing it and with orifices clopening into the annular space above the piston all and thence through the valve 010 to the vacuum-chamber. Fig. 5 shows the air-valve open and the action of the ller when it is attempted to fill a bottle which it would be impossible to seal, as explained. The arrows show the'atmospheric air passing into the vacuum-chamber without reducing the pressure in the bottle.

Fig? shows afurther moditicatiominwhich a valve b is suspended by a rod b12 from a plate Z918, which maybe identical with the plate b of Fig. 2. The valve-seat 014 in the present case is on the inner tube and is attached by a cylindrical extension 015 to the diaphragm 016 on the upper end of the inner tube O2. The operation is the same as for the other c onstructions.

What I claim, therefore, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, are the following-defined novel elements and combinations, all substantially as shown and described:

l. The combination in a bottle filler of means for withdrawing air from said bottle and means for admitting liquid thereto, the air-withdrawing means being operative after the liquid-admitting` means has ceased its operation.

2. The combination in a bottle -filler of means for withdrawing air from said bottle, means for admitting liquid thereto, a reservoir for said liquid, means for maintaining a vacuum in said reservoir and means for discharging the withdrawn air into said reservoir.

3. The combination in a bottle-filler of an airtube, a chamber connected therewith, means for maintaining a vacuum in said chamber, a liquid-tube, a liquid-reservoir connected therewith, and means for connecting said tubes with a bottle.

4. The combination in a bottle-filler of an air-tube, a chamber connected therewith, means for maintaining a vacuum in said chamber, a liquid-tube, aliquid-chamberconnected therewith, means for connecting said tubes with a bottle, and means for connecting said liquid-reservoir with said vacuum-4 chamber.

5. The combination in a bottle-filler of an inner tube, an outer tube supporting said inner tube and closing the same, and a closure for said outer tube supported by said inner tube.

6. The combination in a bottle-filler of an inner tube open at both ends, an outer tube open at one end and at an intermediate point, means for closing said inner tube, and means for closing the end of said outer tube.

7. The combination in a bottle-filler of an inner tube, an outer tube supporting said inner tube and closing the same, a closure for said outer tube supported by said inner tube, and means whereby the lifting of said closure lifts said inner tube, whereby the lifting of said closure opens both said tubes.

8. The combination in a bottle-filler of an inner tube, an outer tube, a valveAmember IOO IIO

for closing said inner tube and for supporting the said inner tube from said outer tube, a pair of shoulders on said inner tube, a head surrounding said inner tube and having vertical play between said shoulders, an upward extension from said head closing said outer tube laterallyand means for pressing said head against the lower one of said shoulders.

9. The combination in a bottle-flller of an outer tube carrying a valve member and open at its lower end and at an intermediate point, an inner tube having a diaphragm closing said outer tube at a point above its intermediate opening and having openings above said diaphragm, of a valve member carried at the lower end of said inner tube adapted to coact with the valve member on said outer tube to close said inner tube.

10. The combination in a bottle-filler of an outer tube open at itslower end, an inner tube slidable therein, a closure having sides fitting the sides of said outer tube so as to close the same and having a head surrounding said inner tube, a valve member on the lower end of said inner tube and a corresponding valve member on the lower part of said head to close the lower end of said outer tube.

11. The combination in a bottle-filler of means for withdrawing air therefrom and means for sealing said bottle against the admission of atmospheric air, the sealing means being adapted to seal said bottle when its edge is substantially unbroken, and to be prevented from sealing the same when said edge is broken.

12. The combination in a bottle-filler of means for withdrawing air therefrom and means for sealing said bottle against the admission of atmospheric air, the sealing means being adapted to bear against the edge of the mouth of said bottle, whereby irregularities in said edge prevent the establishment of said seal.

13. The combination in a bottle-filler of an outer tube, an inner tube, and a valve member rigidly but detachably attached to one of said tubes for holding them together.

14. The combination in a bottle-filler of an outer tube, an inner tube, and a valve member c6 rigidly but detachably attached to said outer tube and closing the lower end of said inner tube.

15. The combination in a bottle-filler of an outer tube, an inner tube, a valv'e member o6 supported from said outer tube and closing said inner tube, a valve member c3 supported from said inner tube and a closure D movable on said outer tube and coperating with said valve member c3 to close said outer tube.

16. The combination in a bottle-filler of an outer tube, an inner tube, a valve member c6 supported from said outer tube and closing said inner tube, a valve member c3 supported from said inner tube, and a closure D coperating with said valve member c3 to close said outer tube, said valve members c6 and c3 being detachable from their supports.

In witness whereof I have hereunto signed my name in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

OTTO S. BEYER.

Witnesses:

FREDERICK V. O. LONGACRE, HARRY C. H. WALSH. 

